Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in St Helens

Inspection report for children's home: 2624711 1 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned children’s home. The provider states in the home’s statement of purpose that it provides care for up to one child with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since February 2021.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2624711 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/03/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness 08/12/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: 2624711 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is currently one child living at the home. He has lived in the home for a few months. The environment is homely and the child’s bedroom is comfortable and personalised with his love of football.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager undertook a robust assessment to understand the individual needs of the child before his move to the home. The child visited and received information about the home before moving in. The child said that he has a good relationship with the staff, feels safe and well cared for.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have high aspirations for the child. They encourage educational attendance and attainment. The child has excellent attendance at school and is making good progress. This is a significant achievement from the child’s previous experiences. Staff are ambitious for the child to do well, and they have good links with the school. Feedback from professionals was positive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to live a healthy lifestyle. The child has recently joined a local football and swimming club and attends twice a week. His hobbies and interests are promoted by staff. Consequently, the child is engaged in a variety of activities and is making new friends. This is helping him feel a sense of belonging in the community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is a wide range of good-quality direct work taking place with the child. This is helping him understand and manage his emotional well-being and risks associated with going missing from home. As a result, incidents have been minimal.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are working hard to help the child build a sense of identity. He is now having regular quality family time. As a result, the child is building relationships with family members who are important to him. The child’s parent said, ‘The manager and staff have gone above and beyond to make all the necessary arrangements.’

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

There are appropriate risk management plans in place. These documents provide staff with clear guidance on what action they must take when a child goes missing. Additionally, staff are clear on their safeguarding responsibilities and what action they must take if a child protection concern arises.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff understand the child’s risks and plans. The manager regularly reviews the plans to ensure that any new risks are considered. Staff liaise well with partner agencies and have established positive working relationship with the local police support officer. Inspection report for children's home: 2624711 4 Recruitment checks are robust. Prior to starting work in the home, all new staff are suitably vetted, following safer recruitment guidelines. This promotes safe working practices.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

There are clear and consistent boundaries in place, which are known and agreed with the child. Staff praise and reward positive behaviours and use appropriate de- escalation techniques to manage any difficulties. As a result, there have been no incidents of restraint.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff are all suitably trained in the administration of medication. There are robust checks in place for the safe storage and recording of all the child’s medicines.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is suitably experienced and qualified. He manages this home and another solo-bedded home in the local area. He manages his time well and provides appropriate managerial oversight of the home. Staff say he is very supportive and helpful.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff know the child well and they are all child focussed and passionate in providing good outcomes. There is a strong emphasis on providing a caring and nurturing environment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Daily handovers and regular team meetings take place. These feature thorough discussions about the child’s plans and demonstrate that there are good communication systems in place. One professional said, ‘Communication between me and the staff is brilliant.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are suitably trained in all aspects that support the child’s needs. Furthermore, the manager supports informal training and development through staff meetings. This has recently included workshops on the social care inspection framework and building positive relationships with children. This is helping staff increase their understanding of the inspection process and enables staff to continuously meet the needs of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers invest in their staff. New staff must complete all their required training and shadow shifts before commencing work in the home. Additionally, staff said there was a detailed induction process. Supervision is regular and of good quality and staff receive annual appraisals. This enables them to reflect continuously on their practice and professional development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The monitoring and reviewing systems in place are effective and the manager uses external monitoring of the home to make improvements. The manager ensures that there are suitable levels of staffing in the home. However, the actual working hours of staff are not clearly shown on the roster. This is not safe practice for children, as there is no clear record of who was working with the children at that time. Inspection report for children's home: 2624711 5

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

The provider must ensure to that all actual hours worked by staff are detailed on the rota. 15 July 2022

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the ‘social care common inspection framework’. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. Inspection report for children's home: 2624711 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Metropolitan House, 3 Darkes Lane, Potters Bar EN6 1AG

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Christopher Parkinson

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Inspector

Judith Birchall, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2624711 7 to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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